Apparatus for straightening milk-cans.



No. 830,596. PATENTE'D SEPT. 11, 1906.

s. 0. KEITH, JR. APPARATUS FOR STRAIGHTENING MILK} CANS.

A PPLIOA TI ONFILBD FEB. 7. 1905.

3 SHEETS-SEEBT 1.

"3272601966 jizveiaefiaizi .No. 830,596. 'PATENTED SEPT. 11, 190.5.

'* I s. '0. KEITH, JR.

APPARATUS FOR STRAIGHTENING MILK CANS. APPLICATION FILED PEB- 7. 1905.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

No- 830596. PATENTED SEPT. 114190.655

s. c: KEITH, JR.

APPARATUS FOR STRAIGHTENING MILK oANs. APPLIGATiON FILED FEB.7. 1905.

a SHEETSSHEET l A [2250x8021 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIoE.

SIMEON C, KEITH. Jn,

OF SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS. I

APPARATUS FOR STRAlGHTENING MILK-CANS- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 7, 1905. serial No. 244,570.

Patented Sept; 11, 1906.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SnunoN O. KEITH, Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing in Somerville, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetta'have invented an I Inc rovement in Apparatus for Straightening -Qans ,-of whlc $1011, m connection with theaccompanying the following descripdrawings, is a specification, like'characters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to anap aratus for pressing or straightening hollow o jects, and

is especially designed and adapted'to be used for taking the dents out of milk-cans or like receptacles I In order that the invention may be clearly comprehended, I will hereinafter describe the same in connection with a milk-can.

For this'purpose Iemploy a former, upon which the milk-can is placed and which is shaped to conform to the breast and body portion ofthe can; The former referred to is preferor bar may be actuated by a lever, as will be ably made movable in a vertical direction to facilitate utting on and taking off of the can, and i dr this purpose said former is pivoted to an upright support orstandard and has cooperating with 1t a slide block or bar which cooperates with, a cam or inclined surface on the standard to effect upward movement of the pivoted former. The slide block "2 described. 'The-supporting-former, which is extended into th'e'canfhas cooperating with it an external former, which may and preferably is power-o erated, as will be described, and is controlle by the foot of the operator.

. The-external former may be adjustably sup- I Figure 1 is a front elevation of an apparaported to enable itto be adjustedlongitudinall'yior'a purpose as 1w' 1' be described. These-and other featuresof this invention will be pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

tus embodying this invention; Fig. 2, aside elevation with parts broken away of the ap-' paratus shown in Fig. l-looking toward the right; Fig. 3, adetail in section and elevation to be referred to; Fig. 4, a rear elevationof the machine'shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 5, a detailof the starting'mechanism to bereferred to; and Fig. 6, a'sectional detail to be referredto, the section being taken on the line 6 6, Fig. 5.

i Referring to the drawings, 0 represents a hollow standard or upr ght constituting a supporting framewor 10' is extended.

which is provided a transverse slotor'opening b,"ex tended cient distance to receive the can m to be straightened, the said. rojecting portion comprising a substantial y straight end part at and an inclined'part 0, which connects the end part nwith the rear portion of said former and which isdesigned to be engaged by the breast ortion of the can. The former a is normal y lowered andrests on the bottom wall of the 'o ening or slot 1), as represented in Fig.1, and is adapted to be elevatedby a device herein. shown as a'slide' block or bar p, which en ages the undersurfaceof the rear portion 0 the former a and is en ported upon the front and rear portions 0 the bottom wall of the slot or opening'b.

The slide block or bar p is providedat its front end with a thickened portion r, which cooperates with an inclined surfaces on the inner side of the hollow standard a to turn the formerc on its ivot and raise its free or cansupporting en from the inclined position (shown in Fig. 1) into the horizontal position. (ShowninFig. 3.) The slide block p ma be -moved, as herein represented, by a c'ra or arm .10, located within the hollow standardv and fast on a rock-shaft 12,"which is extend.-

ed through one side of the standard and-is provided with a second crank'or arm'13,

which constitutes a. handle by means of which said slide block or bar may be oper- 'ated; The slide block or bar p may be provided on its under side with a socket or opening[14,"i'nto which the freeend ofthe crank' The supporting former. c has cooperating with it' a pressing-former- 17, which-may and preferably will be power-operated, as will 'now be described. For this purpose the pressing-former 17 is securedto-a crossehead 18, movable in vertical. guides 19, attached to the standard or upright'a. The cross head 18 is joined by a rod 20 to an eccentric 21 'on a shaft 121, having hearings in the standard or upright a and provided with a drivingpulley 22 ,normally loose on said shaft,

I-lO

but which is adapted to be connected thereto by a clutch mechanism, which may be of any suitable or desired construction and which is under the control of the foot of the operator.

' In the resent instance the clutch mechanism is s own in Figs. 5 and 6 as a rod or key 26, semicircular in crosssection and which is fitted into a longitudinally-ext'ended semicircular channel or slot 27 in the circumferenoe of the shaft 121 and which is enlarged and made a full circle at its outer end, as at 127, (see Fig. 6,) which enlarged portion revolves, in a bearing, one-half of' which is formed by tne shaft and the other half in a disk 28, fast on the shaft. The pulley 22 is provided with a hub 29, having a slot or keyway 30, substantially semicircular in crosssection'and into which the ke 26 is 'ada ted The key 26 is designed to e turned so as to couple the pulley to the shaft'121 by a spring 1 31, inter osed between a crank or arm 32'6n the said ey and a stud or projection 33 on. .thedisk 28. (See Fig. 5.) I The s ring'31 is normally compressed by the cran orar n 32, which is held from turning ba latch, shown as an elbow-lever 34,

. (see ig. 1,) which is pivoted'at to a support 36, attached to the framework or u rlght a, one arm of said lever being normal y in the path of movement of the crank 32 and the other arm beingjoined by a link 40 to ,a-

lever 41, mounted on apivot 42, carried by a lever.43-, pivoted to the framework. The lever 41 is connected by a link 44 to a foottreadle 45. j

The latch 34 is normally held in the path of the crank or arm 32 by'a spring 46, (see' Fig.1,) and the foot-treadI-e is elevated by a spring 47. (See Fig. 4.)

Inoperation the depression of the foottremdl'e releases'the crank 32, whereupon the spring 33, which is normally under compression, throws the crank-forward until it meets the stop pin or projection on the disk 28.

each revolution, and this is accomplished, as,

This movement of the crank 32 takes place when the keyway or slot 30 in the pulley registers with the keyway or slot 27 in the shaft 121. In this manner the pulley is clutched to, the shaft 121.and'the latter is given one com lete revolution, during which the pressingormer 17 is forced against the cam 'm on t'weensaid formers are removed and the said-surface is restored to its original shape without straining or opening the soldered joints of the can.

'The shaft121 is design ed to stop after herein shown, by the operator removing his foot from the treadle, whereupon the elbowlever 3d is restored to' its normal position,

crank or arm 32, so that when the shaft has nearly completed its revolution the said crank engages the elbow-lever and is held from further rotation with the shaft, which latter continues to rotate until the key 26 is withdrawn from the keyway in the pulley 22, whereupon the rotation of the shaft is arrested by the projection 51 on the disk engaging the crank 32. After each reciprocation of the pressing-former the can is turned on the supporting-former to bring a new portion of its surface into operative position. The supporting-former remains-in its elevated position until the can has been pressed back into shape, and when the shapin process is completed the operator moves t e lever 13 so as to'carry the elevating device or'slideblock 1) from the position shown in Fig. 3 back into the position shown in Fig. 2 ,whereupon the free end of the supporting-former is lowered to permit the pressed can to be removed therefrom and another or dented can to be placed thereon.

It will be noticed that while the machine is in operation the hands of the operator are free to manipulate the can. It is to be observed that a portion of the can for substantially its entire length is subjected to compression at one operation of the pressingformer. It will thus be seen that metal receptacles, such as milk-cans, may have the dents in them removed in a substantially short time and with a minimum expenditure breast and body portion of the said former to cooperate properly with the breast 0 and body portion, n of the lower or supporting former a.

I claim A 1. In a machine of the class described, in combination, a framework, a supportingformer for the can or receptacle to be shaped pivoted to said framework, a slide-block cooperatin with said supporting-former and with sai framework to elevate said supporting-former, means to-move said slideblock,

a compressing-former cooperating with said supporting-former, a shaft from which said compressing-former is reciprocated, and a foot-treadle controlling the rotation of said shaft, substantially as described.

2. In amachine ofthe class described, in combination, a hollow framework provided with a transverse slot or opening, a supporting-former extended into said slot or opening and pivotally secured at its rear end, means within said hollow framework for elevatin said'supporting-former, a power-operate compressing-former cooperating with a portion of said su ortin -former which 65- which is in the path of movement of the projects beyond said ollo'w amework, and 0 oooperatin combination,

means to control said power-operated former, v v substantially as-described.

' class described, in

3. In a machine ofthe combination, a vertically movable support ing-formerover which a 'Inilkcan or like receptacle is adaptedto be placed, a slide-block W1th said former, a lever to actuate said sli e-block, a c'amsurface cooperating with said slide-block to effect elevation 'of said former, and a compressin -former cooperating with .stan'tially as described' 4. In a machine'of the class described, in a supporting-former provided vzlith surfaces, at an angle to each other adapte to e breast 0 'a can, means to support said former, and a compressing-former provided with surfaces inclined to each other to engage the exterior surfaces of the body and breast portion of the can, one of said formers bein I movable relation to the other; an

means to effect movement of the movable former, substantially as described.

5. In a machine of the class described, in combination, a supporting-former over which a hollow receptaeleor can is adapted to be said supportingormer, sub-' age the inner side of the body and" placed, means to support said former means to elevate said former, a compressing-former cooperating with said supporting-former, andmeans to adjust said supporting-former with relation to said coin ressing-former, sub stantially as described? 6. In a machine of the combination} with surfaces terior surfaces of the body and breast por-" said formers being tion of the can, one of movable with relation to. the other, means to adjust the compressing dormer-"longitudinally', and means to eflect movement of the movable former, substantially as described.

In testimony-whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

SIMEON o. KEITH, JR

Witnesses:

Jas. H". CrimicmLL, J. Moarar. 

